Events

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14 March 2016

Presented during the PLASA Awards for Innovation on the second night of PLASA08, and named in honour of the late designer, developer and commentator Tony Gottelier, this award aims to recognise innovative developers who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of the equipment and tools that enable entertainment technology practitioners to continually push the boundaries of event production, presentation and installation.

Voted for by the industry, the Award was presented to John Stadius by Tony's wife Susie.

Stadius is a distinguished audio designer: in 1978, he joined Soundtracs PLC, designing disco consoles, mixers, power amplifiers and speakers. As technical director between 1980-1994, he continued to design a wide range of ana

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14 March 2016

Secret Garden has been touring China, Korea and Norway since April with two Soundcraft Vi6 consoles and AKG microphones. The last concert of the tour was a special outdoor show incorporating a 27-piece symphony orchestra in the band's hometown of Kristiansand, Norway. With the orchestra and nine musicians/singers on stage, the need for more than 64 channels was obvious.

"When we planned this gig earlier this summer we aimed to use a third Vi6 for the orchestra, but the timing for a stable beta version of the new V3 software was perfect to make it possible to just add, a DSP card in the FOH local rack and a second stagebox to run the required 95 channels from one co

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14 March 2016

Richard Chilvers re-joins Hawthorns after a seven- year gap, during which time he fine tuned his skills as a venue technician and later in a sales role.

Derek Wilson, former MD of Elevation Rigging, has also joined Hawthorn's sales and installations team after many years as a Hawthorn customer.

"Due to the continued expansion of our sales and installation department we needed to recruit additional staff to cope with the increased workload. Recruitment can be a gamble and so we are delighted to be able to welcome old friends to the team" commented Hawthorn's MD, Martin Hawthorn.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

System-wide events can now also be triggered from device-specific error conditions, such as recalling a preset for a zone based on the conditions of individual amplifiers. A user-definable selection of controls can be automatically readdressed to different devices/parameters on a Custom Control Panel in a few simple steps, and advanced zonal control is now possible. A Fast Meter control has been added for improved meter response and device synchronization has been simplified and improved.

"With System Architect

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14 March 2016

However, projection of specific images such as windows and logos has been impossible due to the pincushion distortion inherent in these wide angle lenses.

With Goboland's mastery of keystoning and predistortion of images, it is now possible to use these extremely wide angle profiles to project precise, 'corrected' images on a much larger scale and from much shorter throw distances, says the company.

Goboland has developed a system of pre-distorting gobo images to compensate for the pincushion effect, regardless of which manufacturer's lantern is used.

Each manufacturer's unit has its own unique distortion fa

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14 March 2016

"PLASA is a great opportunity for us to showcase the D7 along with all of its advantages and upgrades. Since the release at InfoComm, the D7 has been featured by famous recording artists and utilised in popular," states Alfred Reinprecht, vice president of marketing for AKG.

"The D7 microphone is one of the greatest microphones in the industry for vocals, and we are very pleased with the amount of positive attention that it is receiving. We are dedicated to providing an

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14 March 2016

John Midgley, Polar Audio's managing director, says, "We look forward to educating UK markets about Aviom's solutions and to creating additional business opportunities for Aviom's full line of products. Because Aviom systems are modular and scalable, they are ideal for a broad range of applications, including those requiring high-fidelity digital snake and audio networking solutions."

With its expanding applications from monitor mixing and digital snakes to networking and audio conferencing solutions, Aviom expects to increase its market share in the UK as it is introduced to Polar Audio's broad customer base, which ranges in market segments from broadcast to conferencing, to live sound and recording, to audio visual installations.

"Because of its vast experience in design and custom

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14 March 2016

Production manager for the event, Chris Vaughan, once again approached Brilliant Stages to build and supply the 68m wide x 20m high solid fascia which was to provide the substantial backdrop for the show.

Devlin's design for the fascia was that of a clown's face, the mouth of which was to form the proscenium arch with the forehead, nose and eyes covering the main stage whilst the ears and hair extended off-stage and across into the wings.

Oli Metcalfe designed the lighting using 1500 Color Kinetics IColor Flex SLX units to outline the mouth, nose, eyes, ears and hair whilst James Thomas

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14 March 2016

The systems for the Hacker, Weinzelt, Armbrustschtzen and Lauenbrau tents are provided by Max Ihm and Andreas Wallisch of LUTV of Forstinning.

At the Lauenbrau tent 12 JBL Professional Vertec VT4887 compact line array elements and eight JBL P744 1x18" subwoofers will be powered by eight Crown I-Tech IT4000 Series amplifiers with mixing by a 48-channel Soundcraft Series 4 console and processing by BSS Soundweb 9088 networked signal processor. Four JBL SRX712M monitor wedges will be joined onstage with a battery of AKG microphones.

At the neighboring Armbrustschtzen tent, a similar loudspeaker lineup of 12 JBL Professional VT4887 compact line array elements, eight JBL P744 s

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14 March 2016

"On previous tours, we had video in the show," says lighting designer Michael Keller. "But John decided he was tired of doing video. We were going to go more straightforward rock 'n roll - the type of feeling where you're watching a band, not video. John wanted to keep everything very organic."

Keller, who has been Mayer's LD for three years, achieved the desired stage impression - and other organic benefits, too - with Elation Professional's Impression intelligent LED moving head. A small and compact, yet high-output, RGB colour-changing fixture, the Impression is the main lighting unit being used on the 30-city tour, which plays at 10,000-20,000-seat indoor and

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14 March 2016

New features in v1.3 include engineers' fader strips for wedge and in-ears, which allow separate fader control and dedicated outputs to the operator's listen wedge and IEM personal system. Optional processing and aux monitor mixes can be assigned to wedge or IEM strips, automatically appearing in the desired monitor when auditioned.

Another key feature is the addition of Real Time Analyzer (RTA) to enable the engineer to quickly identify feedback, tune room acoustics, and tailor the onstage monitor wedges. Accessed via the PAFL system, the frequency content of any input or mix, and the spectrum of the main mix, can be viewed on screen and on meters

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14 March 2016

"Last year, we came to PLASA as visitors," said Stuart Kerrison, sales director of TTA."This year we were exhibitors and the show has given us great insight into how far TTA and the Stagetracker product have come in 12 months. We've met industry professionals from all over the world - Canada, Iceland, Singapore, Greece - who have heard about and read about our system. At both distributor and end-user level, a lot of people indicated to us that they are really excited about this genre of technology and its implementation."

Co-exhibiting with new UK distributor Ambersound, TTA was demonstrating

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14 March 2016

Making the presentation, Mark Engel, president of Rosco, said: "This is the fourth year we've been able to support Light Relief with a cheque at PLASA. Our contribution to date now exceeds $15,000 and has been funded by purchases of #313 Supergel. We envisioned this arrangement as 'a gift that keeps on giving' and we're delighted that it continues to fulfil that promise."

Developed with the help of Rick Fisher, co-founder (along with the late Tony Gottelier) of the industry charity which supports lighting designers in difficult times, Light Relief Yellow is the vibran

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14 March 2016

Dr Tim Coker, CEO, comments: "This was our first time at PLASA and we were uncertain how this new product would be received amid today's difficult financial climate. A little to our surprise, the buzz the product has generated has been beyond all our expectations, amplified of course by the Innovation Award. We have seen that this industry has an appetite for new technologies and ideas and every visitor to our stand was most enthusiastic about the product."

For the first time the PLASA Innovation Awards included an environmental prize and Proteus was the inaugural winner. Dr Coker continues: "It has been through develo

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14 March 2016

"The show's success was due to a combination of factors," said Director of Events Nicola Rowland, "in particular a targeted marketing campaign combined with special online registration offers; a growth in exhibitor numbers; even more new product launches than in 2007; a greatly expanded educational programme; and improved visitor and exhibitor facilities.

"Combined with the effort that so many exhibitors made to p

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14 March 2016

Allen & Heath, Avolites, ETC, Le Maitre, Lee, MA Lighting, Martin, Pulsar, RCF, Roland, Rosco, Selecon, Sennheiser, Strand, Yamaha & Zero 88 will be exhibiting their latest products, offering demonstrations and providing product advice.

Other products on display include Qmaxz Moving Lights, the Xenonspot follow spot, Altair wireless intercom system, Apollo Right Arm and an array of products from Edirol. PLASA will be joining the event this year. PLASA and representatives will be there to answer questions and to discuss the benefits of membership.

New to this year's show are three Training Taster Sessions, which aim to give an insight into the industry training Stage Electrics offers. Training sessions include Worki

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14 March 2016

The Green issues will be debated by a panel of speakers that includes Fred Foster, CEO of ETC; at the other end of the spectrum Alex Wardle of Arup venue consulting will be taking a backward look to stage lighting in 1750, when the bleached beeswax candle was cutting edge, as he discusses how he re-created the feel of a candle-lit stage without actually using a naked flame.

The venue for 2009's Showlight is BBC Scotland's new state of the art headquarters, which boasts the latest broadcast technology. It is the biggest TV recording space to be bu

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14 March 2016

GDS developed the MOBAL (Make Or Break And Load) digital Socapex tester to meet a market need in the entertainment industry for a comprehensive and automatic fault diagnosis and correction system. The product is compact, digital, splash proof and operates fully automatically; its OLED (organic LED) display provides the test results in symbols rather than words, making MOBAL a truly international product.

TMB are Global Distributors for the ProTester 19 MOBAL cable tester. Paul Hartley, TMB-UK's GM, says, "Over the years we have seen Socapex teste

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14 March 2016

There's also the Hui Work Light which is proving a popular addition to the Hui family of Cyc, Flood and Groundrow. Fitting the Cyc with wire safety mesh instead of safety glass means that the air flow system works in any position for extended operating hours required for overstage or rehearsal applications.

Plus, there's the 8-leaf barndoor and a new and improved rock'n'roll type colour change for the Performer Series range of Followspots.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

"No matter what kind of rigging system a performance space may have - counterweights, automation, a combination of the two or a customized system - we can't emphasize enough that you're hanging heavy set pieces over people's heads," said Tom Young, J. R. Clancy's vice president of marketing. "We're taking a light touch with our safety message, but we're very serious about the need to do annual maintenance, train rigging operators to spot problems, and keep everyone in the theatre safe from rigging accidents."

LDI attendees can see J. R. Clancy's PowerLift Automated Hoist with its outer c

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14 March 2016

By the end of this successful show, it became clear to trade fair organisers, IIR Exhibitions, that the expo may be ready to evolve into its next phase.

After mounting a successful launch campaign in India's Bollywood capital there is now a groundswell of exhibitors asking IIR to repeat the formula in a different location in 2009.

The 2009 edition of PALME India is also likely to occupy a different date in the calendar - away from the Festival season.

Exhibition organiser James Raffoul, said: "We can look forward to the future as PALME India has become a permanent fixture in the Indian industry calendar."

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Situated in a meander of the Ebro river, the Expo 2008 site is home to some groundbreaking architecture such as the emblematic Bridge Pavilion designed by Zaha Hadid and the imposing Water Tower designed by Enrique de Teresa. The exposition site also hosted several daily shows including Iceberg, a visual and poetic symphony evoking water and climate change as its central themes. Leading Spanish production company, Focus, created the iceberg itself and designed the audio system which was entirely powered by Lab.gruppen amplifiers, including 24 PLM Powered Loudspeaker Management systems.

From a technical point of v

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14 March 2016

At LDI, the Philips 750/115 FastFit and Philips 800/230 FastFit will be on display for the first time, designed in fixtures of the American manufacturer Strand. These new Philips lamps offer maximum light and minimum heat at performers, a longer lifespan and fewer early failures.

Philips has extended the FastFit product range over the last few months with the Philips MSR Gold 300/2 FastFit, Philips MSR Gold 1500 FastFit and Philips MSR Gold 2000(/2) FastFit.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Iain McLean, one half of the Scattered Media duo responsible for the EvenTech model, reports: "The EvenTech brand is just in its first year and already we've had two very successful shows in two very different regions. EvenTech Ireland has been our fastest sell out to date and all exhibitors are very optimistic about the success they will see in Ireland. It's going to be a very pivotal show for EvenTech, the exhibitors and the visitors alike."

Darren Brechin, co-director of Scattered Media notes: "From our experience we realised that the visitors - the installers and the system integrators - need to be able to quickly and easily access these shows, taking hours rather than days out of their schedules - and actually finding informa